Chiang Rai, Thailand

In the lush jungle area of Chiang Rai in northern Thailand sit two “temples” which are the ying and the yang of each other. The White Temple, still under construction and financed by the artist, boast traditional Buddhist imagery and architecture along side current popular cultural icons like Wolverine, Harry Potter, Elvis, Transformers, and Michael Jackson just to name a few. The Black Temple (or also called Black House) nestled in the woods a few miles away consists of over 40 temples and structures filled with a collection of skulls, animal skins, bones and woven baskets. While the structures are built like temples, the buildings are not a religious site but a museum. A few kilometres away is also the poor village of the Karen tribe of Thailand. The women of the tribe are Padaung people (women who wear brass rings around their necks and knees). The village people are originally from Myanmar and have migrated over to Thailand. The village supports itself by making and selling woven scarfs, statues and other treasures including your own brass rings that you can tie around your neck. Also in the vicinity are hot springs which have become a rest stop for the tourists on buses to dip their feet in the water or boil eggs in the hot water and steam as a snack.